Ukraine's defense minister asks EU for Patriot missiles and funding for drone interceptors
Ukraine's Defense Minister Yevheniy Khmara addressed EU defense ministers on September 28 at a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, asking member states to transfer part of their Patriot missile stockpiles to Ukraine and to help finance Ukrainian production of interceptors for jet-powered Shahed-type drones. He also requested air-to-air missiles, man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), and F-16 ammunition, and called on partners to move EU loan funds planned for 2027 into 2026.
Key points
- Defense Minister Yevheniy Khmara spoke at an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting of defense ministers on September 28.
- He asked EU states to transfer part of their Patriot missile stockpiles now, in exchange for missiles Ukraine is to receive later under existing contracts.
- He called on European partners to help finance production of interceptors capable of countering jet-powered Shahed-type drones.
- He stressed the importance of transferring air-to-air missiles, MANPADS, and F-16 ammunition to Ukraine.
- He asked partners to move EU loan funds planned for 2027 into 2026, use remaining SAFE funds for Ukrainian procurement, and provide additional bilateral resources.
- Ukraine estimates an additional $27 billion defense need, with roughly one-third covering prepayments for drone deliveries scheduled for early 2027.
Why it matters
The appeal is a substantial and immediate ask from Kyiv to expand European military assistance at a moment when Russia is scaling up its use of jet-powered Shahed-type drones that conventional interceptors struggle to down cheaply and at scale. Khmara tied the timing of the funding to Russia's planned mobilization, framing the request as urgent. EU High Representative Kaja Kallas has already publicly proposed a similar Patriot swap, suggesting some alignment within the bloc on at least part of the package.
What happened
On September 28, Defense Minister Yevheniy Khmara addressed an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting at the level of defense ministers and laid out a package of requests to EU member states. He asked member states to transfer part of their own Patriot missile stockpiles to Ukraine, with Ukraine compensating later from missiles it is due to receive under existing contracts. He called on European partners to help finance Ukrainian production of interceptors designed to counter Russian jet-powered Shahed-type drones, noting that Ukrainian forces are already shooting such drones down, including with interceptor missiles. He also stressed the need to transfer air-to-air missiles, man-portable air defense systems, and F-16 ammunition. On financing, Khmara asked partners to move EU loan funds planned for 2027 into 2026, to use remaining SAFE funds for Ukrainian procurement, and to provide additional resources through bilateral aid. He argued the money was needed in autumn so manufacturers could procure components and produce drones in time, given Russia's planned mobilization.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All six available sources are Ukrainian-language media outlets reporting on the official Ukrainian Defense Ministry readout of Khmara's speech. The coverage centers on Khmara's requests and contextualizes them against ongoing domestic interceptor development — 67 Ukrainian enterprises working on counter-drone technology, the Alexa Spatium interceptor in use since August, and the newly presented Zorelit v5. Ukrainian outlets also highlight Ukraine's own $7 billion contribution to military pay and payments, framed as a counterpart to the European ask.
Background
Khmara reported at the end of August that Ukraine has four potential interceptor designs capable of destroying jet-powered drones; they have passed field tests but need to be scaled to thousands of units. On September 24, President Zelenskyy said Ukraine would receive a new batch of Patriot missiles. EU High Representative Kaja Kallas has also proposed transferring Patriot missiles to Ukraine in exchange for later deliveries. Ukraine's domestic interceptor pipeline includes Alexa Spatium, in use since August, and the newly presented Zorelit v5 (maximum speed 416 km/h, range up to 47 km). Kyiv estimates its additional defense need at $27 billion, roughly one-third of which is prepayment for drone deliveries scheduled for early 2027, and plans to cover $7 billion in military pay through its own resources via government austerity and budget reallocation.